The Seed Initiative (Supporting Entrepreneurs in Environment and Development) aims to raise awareness of the potential of the partnership approach towards sustainable development and to inspire, support and build the capacity of locally-driven entrepreneurial partnerships to contribute to sustainable development and sustainable livelihoods.

The initiative focuses on ‘business as unusual’ – innovative action delivering real solutions through project cooperation among small and large businesses, local and international NGOs, women’s groups, labour organisations, public authorities and UN agencies, and others working in the field of sustainable development.

Through an international award scheme, intensive capacity-building activities and a research programme, the Seed Initiative will publicize the partnership approach, stimulate and build the capacity of entrepreneurial, nascent partnerships executing action on the ground; create a conduit for investment in partnerships; disseminate good practice and lessons-learned from successful partnerships to inspire further new partnerships; and generate evidence-based research to assist policy makers.

The Seed Initiative comprises three integrated and complementary elements:

• The Seed Awards generate exposure and publicity for the partnerships approach and provide inspiration for entrepreneurial activity. Every two years, five to ten entrepreneurial partnerships will be selected in an international competition. Representatives from these partnerships will attend a series of capacity-building and learning exchange workshops. The awardee partnerships will be highly publicized and showcased through a ‘marketplace’ to solicit offers of direct support from relevant organisations and businesses. The partnerships will then receive a package of individually-targeted support including the services of a professional partnership broker over a number of months to give them every chance of success. The experience of these partnerships will be used to inform and inspire other nascent partnerships.

• The Seed Partnership Support Channel oversees the delivery of individually-targeted support to awardees. The channel also includes an information system to capture resources, contacts, and knowledge discovered or generated through the running of the awards to create an important resource for all partnerships.

• The Seed Research and Learning Channel feeds research into the Seed Initiative and into the public arena; captures the experiences of the awardees through detailed case studies; draws out policy-related lessons learned from the award winning partnerships; and provides recommendations to decision makers and partnership practitioners. To broaden out and ensure the highest quality in the delivery of these elements, the support and active participation of experienced organisations, operating at national, regional and international levels, is being engaged through an Associate Partners Network. As the network develops, the aim is for the network to become a vibrant community with the potential for any number of spin-off collaborations and initiatives, including playing a convening role to help new partnerships to form

Fulfillment of BFSD Members’ Project criteria:

• International or scalable on an international level:
              The Seed Initiative is global in scope, aiming to build 
              awareness, assist and inspire promising innovative and
              entrepreneurial action through partnership anywhere in the
              world.

• Multi-cultural or adaptable for different cultures:

              Seed Award winners will receive a package of services and 
              support specifically created for each individual partnership
              within its cultural, social and economic context. By building
              up and utilizing the geographically spread network of
              associate partners, material produced by the initiative will
              be informed by, and adapted to, different cultures.

• Contribution to humanity / natural heritage:

             By encouraging and supporting locally-driven partnerships
             between different sectors of society Seed has the potential
             to inspire action which will directly improve lives and
             livelihoods as well as help to create a more cohesive
             society. Seed’s emphasis on highlighting innovation and
             entrepreneurship at the local level will help to spread 
             different entrepreneurial approaches across cultures.
             Sustainable Development aspect: Through the awards and
             the support and learning channel, the initiative supports and
             encourages the creation of successful multi-stakeholder
             partnerships that relate to the three pillars of sustainable
             development: environmental, social and economic

Participation:

• What type of collaborative effort might be possible? 
             The Seed Initiative is itself a partnership with core
             partners IUCN, UNDP and UNEP and collaborating
             partners Partnerships Central and the Global
             Public Policy Institute. Additionally, a network of
             associate partners operating at national, regional and
             international is being created to input into and help
             deliver the initiative. The Bellagio Forum is invited to
             join IUCN, UNDP and UNEP as a core partner of the
             initiative.

• What elements might additional partners bring?
             IUCN, UNDP and UNEP bring their considerable
             networks, knowledge and experience to the initiative.
             The addition of a forth powerful partner, the Bellagio
             Forum and by extension the Forum’s members, would
             greatly enhance the reach, quality and impact of the
             initiative and take its awareness-raising potential to
             new heights.

Additional Information:

Web-link: http://seedinit.org

Contact Information:

J. Gabriel LOPEZ , PhD
Director - Global Strategies
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Rue Mauverney 28
Gland 1196,  Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0245
Fax: +41 22 999 0020
Email: gabriel.lopez@iucn.org